Gray and Gold
by benswife
Summary: Jaime Lannister is forced to leave the kingsguard, take his place as heir of Casterly Rock and marry a Stark. Not Sansa. An Arya and Jaime pairing. Some elements of this story are from the books and some from the TV show.
1. Chapter 1

Tywin Lannister was in agony for five days after Tyrion shot him with the crossbow. Cersei sent away Maester Pycelle and would only allow Qyburn to attend her father. She would not leave his side until she was sure her father would live. On the sixth morning Tywin awoke, and demanded that Jaime come and speak with him.

"You sent for me father?" Jaime arrived and try to hide his worry. Tywin had to be aware of how Tyrion had escaped or at least have guessed it by now. What was he planning to do about it? If his father had been willing to execute one son, was he angry enough to sentence another? "I was here earlier this morning but you hadn't yet awakened by then."

"I don't care if you visited me while I was indisposed." Tywin said bluntly as was his way. "Your sister cared for me well enough."

Cersei allowed herself a small smile at seemingly having gained her father's approval.

"I called you here to make something clear." Tywin went on, " Helping your brother to escape his punishment was short sighted and stupid. However the truth of what you did will never leave this room. I still expect you carry out your duty to house Lannister, now more than ever. You are to leave for Casterly Rock before the end of the week. Arrangements for your marriage to a suitable woman will be made in the coming year. If you fail to do as I have asked not only will I never forgive you, I will send you to the Wall to live out your days. Is that clear?"

"Yes father." Jaime said. He would almost rather go to the wall. Almost.

"Good. Now get out." Tywin said.

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Jaime arrived at Casterly Rock several weeks later. The household servants had all gathered outside the gates to meet him. A few of them he remembered from childhood, many others were new faces. He hardly cared about the faces. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to be anywhere.

"A bird arrived for you two weeks ago, my lord." Said Mikken the the steward as Jaime dismounted from his horse. Mikken a grey haired older main uncommonly tall and thin.

"Fine, just bring the message up to my chambers." Jaime told him.

"I've already left it there my lord."

Jaime went up to his rooms wearily. It had been a long journey. He skipped the evening meal and didn't bother to read his messages. Instead he went straight to bed without ever even undressing or getting under the blankets. He awoke the next morning to a loud knocking on his bedchamber door.

"Yes, yes, come in!" He called out.

"Another bird for you." Mikken said, bringing the message over to Jaime.

 _The Stark girl will arrive in Lannisport at the end of the week. The wedding will take place in a moon's turn. See to it that she accepts the arrangement or I will see to it myself. -Tywin Lannister_

"What did my previous message say?" Jaime asked Mikken, confused. Mikken retrieved the parchment from the desk.

 _Arya Stark has been found alive in Braavos. I have paid good coin to have her brought back from Essos. You will marry her soon after her arrival. I trust that this Lannister and Stark alliance will be more fruitful than the last. -Tywin Lannister_

So he was being forced to marry Arya Stark. An arranged marriage was bad enough but an arranged marriage to a woman who likely hated him was far worse.

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Arya Stark arrived on the docks at Lannisport in chains, with clothes torn, and covered in bruises, even a little blood. Four sellswords he had never met before escorted her off the ship and brought her to where Jaime stood waiting.

"What have you done to her?" Jaime asked the men his father had apparently hired. "She's clearly injured and her clothes are torn."

"She didn't want to come with us and she wouldn't cooperate the entire way here." Said one of the men with a scruffy red beard.

"Are you telling my father paid you to kidnap her from her home in Braavos to bring her here?" Jaime knew the answer without having asked the question.

The men shrugged. "We just do what we're paid to do." Another of them said.

"Do you have the key to her chains?" He asked them.

One of them handed it over. "I wouldn't unchain her if I were you. She'll likely try to kill you."

Jaime glanced over at the defiant look in the young woman's eyes. Perhaps they were right, perhaps she would try to kill him. But he couldn't keep her chained up in any case, especially not if he were going to marry her. "Did she bring anything with her?" He asked as he unlocked her chains.

"Just this." One of the men handed him a cloth sack which seemed to contain a sword and few trinkets. "But I'd keep the sword away from her if I were you."

Jaime took the bag from the men. "If my father has already paid you then you're dismissed." He told them. Apparently they had been paid because at that, they took their leave of him. Jaime turned to Arya. "I'm sorry about all this… clearly they were not gentle with you."

Arya only glared at him. "Of course they weren't. I was trying to kill them." She eyed the cloth bag in his hand and he knew that she would try to kill him too if she got the chance.

"You know why they brought you here?" He decided there was no point in wasting time on pleasantries. He might as well get straight to the point with this one.

She blanched white. "Only that I was brought back to be married. They didn't say to who. I'm not going to marry without a fight."

"Come with me. There's a wheelhouse to bring us back to Casterly Rock." He told her.

"No." She said, refusing to move. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Arya, I wasn't given any choice in who I was to marry either. My father decided my fate for me. No one defies Tywin Lannister. You might as well come with me and get it over with."

"Wait? I'm to marry _you?"_ Arya asked in shock.

"Yes. So you can come with me willingly or I can signal to the household guard over there and have them escort you. What will it be?"

She hesitated and he should have realized in that brief moment what she was doing but he didn't realize until she had already grabbed her sword from his hand. He reached for his own sword with his left hand but she was faster than he was. Before he could even draw it she had her blade at his throat. "Stay back!" She yelled to the Lannister men who waited near the wheelhouse. "Stay back or he dies!"

Jaime kept his hands in the air and she only stared at him, she made no move kill him. "Well, are you going to kill me or not?" He finally asked her.

"You're not on my list, my list of people I intend to kill." She said defiantly.

"I'm sure I could be added easily enough. Maybe you just need to be a little angrier in order to kill me." He taunted as if he didn't care if he lived or died.

"You haven't actually done anything to me… yet. But maybe you should be on my list anyway." Arya said.

"I am sure I have plenty of reason to be. If you kill me now now you'll never get the chance to make me confess."

"You're not going to confess anything. Not if you think it's the only thing keeping you alive." Arya said with anger.

"It's not the only thing keeping me alive. My wits are doing that." He quipped.

Arya's eyes flashed with anger and she took a step closer to him ready to plunge her blade into him. She never got the chance. One of Jaime's men slipped up behind her and knocked her in the head with the flat of a sword. He had only needed to keep her distracted long enough to let his man get close enough. They carried the knocked out Stark girl to the wheelhouse and headed back to the rock.


	2. Chapter 2

Jaime waited at her bedside at Casterly Rock for Arya to wake up. He knew she wouldn't be happy to see him but he also knew that he needed to set things straight between them as soon as possible. Though to be honest, he wasn't sure what _straight_ would even look like.

"Gods... " Arya groaned as she woke up. "Just what I've always dreamed of, waking up with a lump on my head and a smug Lannister at my bedside."

Her words were brave given the circumstances but he had noted the moment of fear in her eyes when she first opened them. The fear had quickly been replaced by anger but it had been there nonetheless.

"Maester Tarik says the pain in your head should clear up in a few hours." Jaime told her, ignoring her angry words. "I asked him if the blood on your clothes was yours or someone else's"

Arya looked down at herself and discovered that her clothes had been changed. The fear returned to her eyes, immediately followed by anger.

"I wasn't here when your clothes were changed." Jaime told her before she could say anything. "Some of the maids helped you. I'm not interested in taking advantage of you like that. Apparently the men my father hired were not so kind. Maester Tarik tells me he believes they raped you. Is that true?"

"Yes…" She breathed. "Among other things."

"Then you won't object if I have them executed?" He said.

"What?"

"I've already sent my men to Lannisport and had them captured. They hadn't gone far. They should be back here by evening. Do prefer hanging or beheading? Or I could just have them sent to the wall?" He quipped.

"Why? Why bother to punish them when you're going to eventually do the same thing? Though I don't suppose you think that _wifely duty_ counts as rape." She said,

"I think it does count as rape. Which is why I'm not going to force you. My father says we must be married. We will go to the sept and say the words for everyone to hear. And someone will send my father a bird and tell him that it is done. But that is _all_ that will happen between us. Is that clear?"

"If you say so." She said, her tone and her eyes held mistrust.

"Good." Jaime got up to take his leave of her.

"Where is my sword?" She called after him.

"Locked up for safekeeping for now." He said. "I'll send for you when your rapists arrive. Perhaps you'd like to see their execution."

"Are you going to do it yourself?"

"We have a headsman." Jaime said.

She gave him a look of contempt. "My father always said the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword."

Ned Stark and his honor were haunting him even now. He remembered the incident on the kingsroad years earlier when Ned had killed one of his children's direwolves for much the same reason. "Fine. I'll do it myself if you wish."

She only nodded and Jaime left her room.

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The men arrived shortly after Jaime had sent dinner up to Arya's room. He went up there himself to tell her that it was time for the execution. She was still in bed eating, four guards outside her door, when he arrived at her room.

"My men have returned. It's time." He told her without preamble.

She set her tray aside on the bedside table and flipped back the bed covers. He noticed her cringe of pain when she tried to rise from the bed. She took a few steps and reached for a robe hanging over the back of a nearby chair. It was clearly painful for her to walk. She was supporting much of her weight by leaning on the chair. She had hid the pain well somehow when she got off the ship. She turned to face him and took a few more steps, breathing unsteady due to the pain.

"Perhaps you'd prefer to watch from the window." Jaime suggested.

She glared at him."I'm fine. I can do this." She almost hissed.

"Perhaps you can but you shouldn't." Jaime scooped her up to carry her before she could protest.

She protested anyway. "Hey, what are you doing? Put me down!" Arya struggled against him and Jaime only held onto her tighter.

"Stop struggling." He told her as they went out into the hallway. "You'll only hurt yourself. I'll put you down when we reach the courtyard."

She stopped struggling by the time they reached the end of the hallway. It even seemed like her head rested on his shoulder for a few seconds before she realized what she was doing and her body went stiff again. Jaime carried her down several staircases and hallways, through the great hall and out into the courtyard. Four prisoners waited for them there. He placed Arya on a bench not ten feet from where the prisoners were.

"What's going on?" One of the sellsword prisoners demanded. "Your father said we'd be free to go once we brought the girl safely to Lannisport."

" _Safely,_ did you say?" Jaime asked. "Take a look at the future lady Lannister and explain to me how all those bruises happened if you were keeping her safe?"

The prisoners glanced at one another warily. "We didn't know she was to be your wife. We thought she was just some prisoner."

"Lady Stark told me that you raped her and our Maester tells us that someone did indeed take her against her will. If you didn't do it then you at least allowed it to happen. Either way way you failed in your duty."

"They did do it." Arya spoke up. "All four of them. Enough times that I stopped counting."

"The word of Lady Arya is enough for me." Jaime said then turned to the Lannister men. "Fetch me a block."

A chopping block was brought and Jaime chose an ax rather than a sword. He wasn't sure he could behead them cleanly using a sword in his left hand. An executioner's sword was meant to be two handed. The weight of the ax would help in this case. He gave them each the same words. "In the name of King Tommen of house Baratheon, I Jaime Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West do hereby sentence you to die."

Jaime turned to Arya when the deed was done. She looked shaken but relieved. He went to her and picked her up again. She didn't protest this time. She was limp in his arms, almost relaxed. If he didn't know better he might think she was grateful for what he had done. Some part of him had hoped that she would be, that this would be a step towards her learning not to hate him. It would be nice if the woman who he was about to marry wasn't out kill him. It would also be good if word of this reached his father. Tywin would be glad to hear of it because it would mean that his son was taking his new position seriously.

Jaime brought Arya back to her bed. "Ser Jaime?" She called out to him after he tried to leave. "Thank you for that. I know you only did it to make it clear that no one harms a Lannister, and it doesn't mean that I'm willing to marry you, but thank you nonetheless."

He only nodded and took his leave of her.


	3. Chapter 3

He sent for her to be brought down for breakfast the next morning, There was no sense in keeping her a prisoner in her room. She would need to be watched carefully as she might still try to escape or kill someone but they might as well try to make her one of the family as much as possible.

"Lady Arya is refusing to let Ser Hiram carry her and she is clearly still in pain as you said, my lord." Mikken told him in the great hall.

"Then I will see to her myself." Jaime said, making his way back up to Arya's room. Ser Hiram was still in there arguing with her.

"You may go Hiram." Jaime told him. "Are you able to walk without pain Arya?"

"I can walk." She said firmly.

He shook his head. "That wasn't what I asked. Can you walk without pain? Because I can send for the maester again and find out if you're healed enough to be out of bed walking."

"I can handle the pain."

"You're too stubborn for your own good." He went to her and picked her up again. She was stiff and angry faced but she did not fight him this time. He carried her down to the great hall.

"So tell me, what were you doing in Braavos?" He asked her over breakfast.

"Training with the faceless men." She told him.

"Truly?" He wasn't entirely surprised. She was clearly a strong willed young woman who didn't care to conform to society's expectations of her.

"What are you doing at Casterly Rock?" She said changing the subject.

"My father had me dismissed from the Kingsguard to take my place as his heir." He explained.

"Which is why you need a wife." She said, irritated.

"Yes, but I don't like it any more than you do. I didn't chose to come here or to take a wife."

"Your father will expect you to have sons." Arya said pointedly.

"I suppose he will." Jaime admitted.

"How do plan on doing your _duty_ without raping me?"

"Perhaps if I continue to be my charming self you'll be more willing." He said with a grin.

"Seven hells…" She gave him a look.

He shrugged. "Or you can take a lover of your choosing and we'll tell my father that the child is mine… I don't really care either way."

"You'd let a Stark bastard inherit Casterly Rock?" Arya said with disbelief.

"It's only a castle. Why should I care who it belongs to after I'm dead?"

"Winterfell isn't just a castle…" She said, trying to keep the emotion from her voice and doing a poor job of it. "If I could give Winterfell to my children I would do it without a second thought. I don't understand you Lannisters."

"You _can_ give Winterfell to _our_ second son, or so King Tommen has decreed." Jaime told her.

Her eyes narrowed at him. "You're saying that only a legitimate Lannister and Stark child will inherit Winterfell… in other words I have to submit to the marriage if I want my children to inherit the north… you do realize it's still rape even if I don't bother to fight you?" She said hardly biting back her anger.

He sighed, looked down at his feet. "I do realize it. And I don't like it."

"Then don't do it." She said exasperated.

"Arya, it's not as simple as that. My father-" He began but she cut him off.

"Your father can go to all seven hells! He doesn't own you. If you don't want to be lord of Casterly Rock then don't lord of Casterly Rock. If you don't want to marry, then don't marry. What can he possibly do to stop you?" Arya said.

"He can have me sent to the Wall." Jaime admitted.

"Is that what he said he would do?"

"He tried to have Tyrion executed. If I fight him on this…"

"Tywin is a formidable man." Arya said, then went on seeing the look Jaime was giving her. "I spent several months with him at Harrenhal. He needed a cupbearer and I was just some random prisoner. I can see why you might be afraid of him."

"I'm not..I'm not afraid of my father." Jaime protested.

"Yes you are." Arya insisted. "You're so afraid of him that you'd rather be a lord of castle you hate and marry a woman you despise just to satisfy him."

"That's not true. I don't hate Casterly Rock. And I don't despise you. But you know _nothing_ of what it is to have a father like mine. A few months in his service is a long time for any servant of his. If he didn't dismiss you right away then that means he liked you. His children weren't so fortunate. Nothing we did could ever be right for him. We were a constant disappointment. He has made it clear that I am forbidden from failing him this time. So I won't fail him, even if that means you have to fake a pregnancy to do it." Jaime told her.

Arya sighed, almost feeling sorry for him after that little speech. "I could fake a pregnancy if you'll let me have my sword back."

"You'll promise not to kill anyone with it?"

"I don't believe in making promises I can't keep." She said.

He almost laughed. "You and your Stark honor. Perhaps in a few months you can have your sword back then."

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Jaime woke in the middle of the night to Mikken shaking his shoulder. "My Lord, please wake up."

"What is it?" He groaned now that he was awake.

"The lady Arya is not in her bed." Mikken said.

"Shit." Jaime was wide awake. If Arya escaped his father would never let him live it down. "Have you started the household searching?"

"Yes my lord, there are already people searching the castle and the grounds."

The search went on for hours with no sign of her. Granted, Casterly Rock was a huge castle and there were many places to hide if that's what she was doing. Jaime had been searching with everyone else and turned down a corridor in the west wing of the castle. he saw a door ajar down the hallway which seemed strange given that all the other doors were closed firmly. Sword drawn, he pushed the door open with his foot. He heard a sniffle from the far corner of the room.

"Arya?"

"Yes, I give up. You've found me." She said, her voice sounded raw and sore.

Jaime reached for a torch from the hallway and lit the room. Arya was curled up on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. Her eyes were red rimmed from crying not long ago but she was calm and composed as she looked at him now.

"What are you doing?" Surely she could have escaped four of five times by now in all the chaos of people searching for her.

"I wasn't trying to escape. I was looking for my sword. I don't feel safe without my sword."

Jaime looked down at his golden hand and knew that he completely understood the sentiment. "Come with me."

She stood and followed him, limping a little as they went.

"I could carry you." He offered.

"Don't." She snapped.

He didn't even try to this time. Jaime led her to the armory and unlocked the door. Arya's sword and her bag of things was on a table in the center of the room. Jaime picked it up and gave it to her. "You should know that even with the sword you are still greatly outnumbered here. If you use it to kill anyone there will be consequences."

"I know." She nodded, tears in her eyes.

"Let's get you back to bed."


	4. Chapter 4

For the next few days, Arya mostly kept to her bedchamber. Jaime made no protests about her walking down to the great hall for meals as long as she agreed to get plenty of rest. She didn't like it, but she complied, mostly because she wasn't feeling well enough to not rest anyway.

On the fifth day, Arya was feeling much more like herself. She went down to the great hall for breakfast and found Ser Jaime there with a parchment in hand, looking unhappy.

"What's that?" She asked, taking a seat across from him.

"Business for the lord of Casterly Rock." He said evasively.

Arya glared at him. "If I'm going to marry you, you might as well know that I'm not going to be one of _those_ wives. The ones that are too stupid and obedient to have ever have a say in what happens in their own home. If you won't tell me what's in the message, I'll find out some other way." She said, taking some fruit from the bowl on the table.

"You're forgetting that we aren't married yet. Once we are, I'll be sure to keep you up to date on all the happenings of the castle." He said, irritated.

"You could get a head start by telling me what's in the message." She said.

"You'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, I'm curious how you think you're going to obtain the information without my telling you?"

She shrugged. "Some of your men think I'm pretty enough. If I really wanted to know something I could trade for information easily enough."

Jaime raised an eyebrow. "You would do that after what was done you by my father's men and even after you were married?"

"You were the one who said I could take a lover." She grinned.

"I suppose I did." Jaime said, though now that he thought about he knew he was uncomfortable with the idea. "But I know other women who said they never wanted a man to touch them again after they were raped. I didn't expect…"

"I would rather not resort to that." Arya said. "And I won't have to if you'll keep me informed."

"So are you offering me some sort of compromise here?" Jaime said trying to conceal his irritation. "That you'll remain faithful if I give you equal rule of the castle?"

She seemed surprised by the question. "Is that even an option?"

His eyes met hers. "Perhaps."

"Perhaps, but only if I am willing to be bedded?" She asked, a mixture of worry and defiance.

"Arya, I would be gentle with you…"

She only stared at him, fear in her eyes. "You were right. I would rather never have a man touch me again."

He nodded understanding. "Then what was the point in all the talk of seduction?"

"Just tell me what's in the damned message!" She exclaimed.

At that he laughed. "It only says that my father will be arriving for the wedding in a fortnight."

"And that saddens you because…?"

"I would rather not see him." Jaime said.

Arya glared at him again. "I'd give anything for a chance to see my father."

"Your father wasn't Tywin Lannister." Jaime quipped.

"I suppose not." She agreed. Then she grinned. "I wonder what he'll do when he finds out his cupbearer was Arya Stark?"

"Probably have someone hanged for it." Jaime said.

"Probably." She agreed again.

Near the end of that week, Arya took her sword out to the practice yard and sought someone to spar with. It was Ser Hiram who finally agreed to it. He was a younger knight, twenty three years old and was pretty good with a blade. Jaime watched with fascination as Arya all but danced circles around him in the Braavosi style. She was good. She was very good. It made him wonder why she hadn't been trying harder to escape. She probably could have killed the men outside her door without too much trouble but making it out the front gate and the twelve men who stood guard there would have been more of a challenge. Even so, there were times of busyness when the gate wasn't watched so closely. Maybe she could escape if she really wanted to. Or maybe she was planning to kill her husband later. He had no way of knowing.

Arya beat Ser Hiram several times and he beat her a few times as well. When she finally left the training yard she was covered in mud and sweat. Her hair was a wreck and with the breeches she was wearing she didn't look a bit like a lady and yet somehow she was more beautiful than any lady he had seen in a long time.

"That was well fought." Jaime commented before she could go past him.

Her eyes narrowed as if she were suspicious of any compliments. "Aren't you going to take a turn? I haven't seen you sparring at all since I've been here."

"There's a reason for that." He held up his golden hand.

"You can't fight with your left hand?" The question was tinged with realization.

"Not really, no." He told her.

"No wonder you're so determined to see this marriage through. If I were the best swordsman in the seven and then I couldn't fight and all I had left was being someone's wife…" She looked at him with pity.

"Arya don't. Don't look at me like you feel sorry for me." He said, barely concealing his anger.

"I don't feel sorry for you. I think you're an idiot." She said.

"What?"

"You heard me! If you think that marriage and a castle and heirs are going to make up for what you've lost, you're wrong. If you think that making your father proud is going to replace your hand, you're wrong about that too. The only thing that can fix not being able to fight, is learning to fight again. So either go hide in the castle and feel sorry for yourself, or take out your fucking sword and fight me!" She shouted at him.

"Fine." Jaime said with gritted teeth. He followed her into the practice yard and drew his sword.


	5. Chapter 5

Jaime was bruised and exhausted by the time he stumbled into bed that night. Arya had beaten him soundly many times in the practice yard that day. At first he had been slightly concerned that she meant to kill him. It would have been a stupid move on her part with all his men watching but Starks weren't known for their brilliance. But each time he yielded the victory, she she'd make them start again. By the end of the day he was worn out and he could see that she was too, maybe more than he was.

Then, in the last round, he finally managed to knock her little blade from her hands. The moment of surprise in her eyes told him that she hadn't just _let_ him win. He had beaten her in earnest. She yielded the match and they dragged their tired bodies back into the castle.

He understood what she had done. She had provoked him into fighting. It was to her advantage if he had some purpose other than marriage. Maybe she hoped that if he learned to fight he would let her go. His father was coming at the end of the week. There was no chance of improving himself that much in such a short time. And even if he could, his men were more loyal to Tywin than to him. There would be no change in the plans his father had set in motion.

Arya didn't appear for breakfast the next morning so Jaime asked Mikken about her.

"Lady Arya is still asleep, my lord." Mikken told him.

"Are you sure? She's always been up early before today." He said.

"I am told that her handmaid Kalla spoke to Lady Arya early this morning and was told to 'get the fuck out' because the lady needed more sleep." Mikken said. "Apparently your activities yesterday left her quite exhausted."

Jaime couldn't help but grin about that. "Alright, let her sleep." He would tease her about it later and she'd likely never sleep late again. Or she'd sleep late every day just to try and irritate him. He couldn't be sure.

He didn't see Arya until late that morning, several hours after breakfast. She found him in his solar where he was giving last minute instructions to Mikken for his father's arrival.

"So this is where your rooms are?" She said in the open doorway. "I came to ask if you wanted to spar today."

"That will be all for now Mikken." Jaime told him, the older man left them with a small bow. "You're finally awake." Jaime said to Arya.

She only shrugged. "I was tired. Fighting you was harder than I expected." Curiously, the words brought a blush to her cheeks making her quickly change the subject. "How come I've never seen this part of the castle before?"

"Because I didn't want you sneaking into this room to murder me in my sleep."

"That makes sense." Arya said.

"It does doesn't it? Though if you did try to kill me you'd never get out of the castle."

"Are you kidding? I've found three ways out since I've been here. It wouldn't be so difficult." She quipped.

"If that's the case then why am I still alive? Why are you still here?"

"Because I'm...curious." She admitted and then her cheeks grew red from the admission.

Jaime regarded her quizzically for a moment before going on with the conversation. "Curious about what, exactly?"

"Nothing… just forget it...do want to spar today or not?"

Jaime grinned. "If I win you'll tell me what it is you're curious about."

"You won't win." Arya protested.

"You just said yourself that I was more difficult than you expected." He said.

"That was about endurance, not skill." She said.

"Ten rounds then. If haven't beaten you by ten rounds then you don't have to answer the question."

"Deal." She agreed.

Jaime had started to become accustomed to Arya's fighting style after all the time they had spent in the yard the previous day. Apparently Arya was still weary from the day before because she moved more slowly as if she were distracted. She beat him the first round but he wasn't worried about that. He still had time to figure out her weakness. He watched her eyes as they fought and soon discovered that they weren't on his blade or his eyes like they should have been. Instead, her gaze was directed at where his tunic had come untied, exposing his chest as they fought without armor. It was just practice after all. Jaime grinned. _This_ was an unexpected development.

"It's quite warm out here, don't you think?" He said when he lost the third round. "I hope you don't mind if I take this off." He stripped the tunic over his head and noted the way her eyes widened.

She beat him again on the fourth round, this time knocking him flat on his back and putting her blade to his throat. Arya was angry.

"I yield." He told her hands in the air. She didn't remove her blade. "Are you seriously going to hold a grudge because I distracted you by taking off my shirt?"

"You didn't…" She began and took a step back.

Jaime only laughed and picked himself up off the ground. "Again?"

It took seven rounds for Jaime to beat her. Arya's sword was on the ground and Jaime was standing much too close to her. "I yield." She said through gritted teeth.

He smiled and went to get his shirt from the fence rail nearby. "Come, walk with me and you can give me the prize I won."

She picked up her sword from the ground and moved to walk with him. They walked in silence for a long while, making their way to the top of the castle where there was a clear view of the sea.

"Are you ready to tell me what is keeping you here?" Jaime asked once they had reached the top. "I'll know if you lie."

She walked over to the castle wall and leaned her elbows onto the archer spaces. "Father told me once that I would be the lady of a castle and the wife of a lord someday. I told him I would never do that... I wanted to carry a sword and see the Titan of Braavos and the Pyramids of Meereen… and go on hunts...and fight in battles… I never wanted to be a lady or have a husband who would tell me what to think and what to do… but since I've been here I've been curious… curious to find out if…" Arya went silent.

"If what?" Jaime prompted, he wasn't sure what direction her words were going.

"If I can do both. If I can honor my father's wishes for me and still be who I am… you've already given back my sword, no one has been insisting that I wear fancy dresses or behave like a lady...and it turns out that you are more honorable than I thought you'd be."

"You're telling me you'll consider accepting the marriage if I don't try to change you?" Jaime asked her, still reeling over what she had just said.

Arya nodded.

"Your father wouldn't approve of me as a husband for you. If you are considering this for his sake it would be futile." Jaime told her.

"I know that. Father approved of _Joffrey_ for Sansa. I don't think his judgement in arranging marriages was very good. It doesn't change that he wanted a normal life for me."

"I thought we weren't supposed to care what our fathers want?." He said, not wanting to discourage her from considering the marriage, just wanting to understand her thinking.

"No, I said you shouldn't be afraid of your father. I want to honor my father's wishes. It's entirely different."

"I don't think it much different at all." Jaime told her.


	6. Chapter 6

Arya had called him honorable. Jaime sighed. She wouldn't think him so honorable if she knew the truth. Was it even fair to keep the truth to himself? He hadn't really thought much about pushing Bran Stark out of that tower until recently. Seeing Arya day after day was a continual reminder of the fact that he had tried to kill a child. Yes, he had done it for Cersei and their children and maybe by some twisted standard of honor somewhere in the world it might be acceptable to kill someone else's child to protect your own. Yet that wasn't the problem in what he had done. The problem was that he never even hesitated, He never felt guilty until much later when he met Brienne of Tarth and even then he had managed to push the guilt aside and pretend it hadn't happened. What kind of a monster behaved like that?

He couldn't sleep. Thoughts like these had never kept him up at night before. He couldn't quite understand why they were keeping him from sleeping now. He tossed and turned for a long while unable to find rest. Then he heard footsteps in the hall.

"Jaime?" It was Arya's voice.

"I hope you haven't come here to kill me." He said half jokingly.

She shook her head. "I couldn't sleep."

"Neither could I as a matter of fact."

"May I come in?" She asked from the place she still stood in the doorway.

"Of course."

She crossed the room and sat down on the edge of his bed. It wasn't until she was sitting on the bed with the moonlight from the window shining in on her that he realized she was trembling. She had come to him because she was afraid. He doubted much of anything frightened Arya Stark and he wasn't going to embarrass her now by pointing out that he knew.

"You sent away the guards at my door?" She asked though it was almost a statement.

"It seemed like we had moved past needing them."

"Maybe, but I liked Ser Hiram's jokes." Arya said, she was still shaking. "And I liked waking from my nightmares knowing that they were keeping other people _out_ as much as they were keeping me in."

"You're still safe here, guards or not." He told her.

"I know." She said. "I still have needle too…"

"Sometimes swords aren't enough." He stated. "What can I do to help? I can put your guards back?"

She shook her head even in the near darkness he could see the tears spill out from her eyes. "They took my sword from me, those men on the ship… and now they haunt my dreams every night...I'd never been so helpless in all my life...I always preferred to fight my own battles... I'm not so stupid as to think that I can win them all by myself...what I'm trying to ask is...can I sleep in here?"

He truly had not expected her to ask this of him. Not that he had any objections but he hadn't expected her to trust him so far. "If you think it will help, then yes." He finally said, moving aside to make space for her.

"Can I sleep on the other side?" She asked almost timidly. "The one further from the door."

"I don't care which side of the bed you sleep on Arya." He said almost amused by her sudden timidness. He supposed it made sense that she would want to keep him between herself and the door if she saw him a protector.

Arya went around the bed and climbed in next to him. She was still trembling with fear and he reached over and held her hand. Not long after that they both fell asleep.

Jaime awoke early in the morning to find Arya was still next to him and she was staring up at the ceiling. "Did you sleep alright?" He asked her. She nodded. It was clear she was still shaken up about something. He decided not to press the issue. "Are you ready to go down for breakfast?"

She nodded again. Without thinking it through, Jaime reached for her hand to bring her with him and she flinched in response. He took his hand away and she immediately looked sorry for her reaction.

"You're afraid of me." He said with realization. "I don't understand why you even came in here if that's the case."

She looked down, her cheeks flushed. "I was telling the truth. I do have nightmares, and I do worry about sleeping alone...but I had to know for myself, before the wedding happens and it's too late...I had to know if you would keep your word… and..."

"You're still worried that I would force you. What would you have done if I had?"

"I brought a dagger." She said, revealing where she had tied it to the calf of her leg.

He sighed. "Arya, if I wanted to force you, I could have gone to your room and done so any time."

"I know that. I'm not an idiot. I just didn't know if I would feel safe sleeping next to you or not….I still don't know what to think...and I only have a few days to figure it out...I'm so confused…" She said, her eyes filling with tears.

"I'm not exactly clear headed myself." Jaime told her. "Let's just get some breakfast. We still have time to figure this out."


	7. Chapter 7

Tywinn Lannister arrived with all the pomp and circumstance as was befitting the hand of the king. He led an envoy of Lannister men all clad in crimson and gold. The entire household waited at the gates to greet him, including Jaime and Arya.

Tywin dismounted his horse and marched over to greet his son. "It is good to see that the castle is still standing and everything has been kept in order under your lordship."

"Thank you." Jaime managed to say. It was the closest thing to praise he was going to get from his father.

"And this must be your new bride." Tywin turned to see the young woman who stood next to his son. He hadn't really looked at her face until this moment. "You!" Tywin said to Arya, then went silent regarding her with cold disbelief for half a minute. "I knew you were no common serving girl but I must admit that was quite a good performance you put in."

"As you say m'lord." Arya said and to Jaime's utter surprise, his father actually laughed.

"Come, let's go inside, there are wedding plans to be made." Tywin said, leading the way back into the castle.

It was then that Jaime noticed for the first time that Arya was wearing a dress. A nice dress of gray silk with gold trim. Her hair had been styled in the northern fashion and she was also wearing her sword but in spite of the sword she looked every inch a lady. She hadn't once worn a dress since the day she arrived and he hadn't asked her to wear one for his father's arrival, though he had considered it. After everything she'd said about his needing to stand up to his father, was she trying to impress Tywin Lannister?

Wedding plans were made quickly and efficiently as was Tywin's way. The feast and guests and seating were all decided on and the date was set for three days away.

'Now that this business is concluded, I will retire to my old bedchamber." Tywin told them. "It has been a long journey."

"What's with the dress?" Jaime asked after his father was gone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She retorted, hurt in her eyes.

"You said you didn't want to be forced into being a lady and now that my father has arrived, you're suddenly wearing a dress and a _necklace._ " He said noticing the silver chain with a direwolf pendant for the first time.

Her hand went to her neck and fingered the wolf pendant. "I didn't expect you'd disapprove." She said coldly.

"I don't. Not if it's what you really wanted. And I don't think it is."

"You're just jealous because your father was happier to see me than he was you."

The words stung but he knew them to be true. "Apparently he was. You lied about your identity and he thinks it's a joke. How did you manage to bewitch my father like that?"

"I didn't do anything. I was just being myself." She protested.

"Like you are right now?"

"I didn't dress like this for _him_ you idiot!" She started to yell then took a breath to calm herself. "I did it for you."

"Arya, I already told you that I won't try to change you. I already think you pretty so I don't see why…"

"If I had greeted your father wearing my breeches and riding boots and stained tunic, with sword on my hip and my hair flying wild he probably would have reacted in much the same way. Then later he would have taken you aside and given you a lecture about the need to get your wife under control and not allow her to shame house Lannister. Am I right?" She said.

"Probably." Jaime admitted.

"Well I can't let him do that to you. Not after what you did for me."

Jaime swallowed, touched by her words. "Thank you."

They both sat there in a comfortable silence for a little while longer.

"I don't suppose I can spar while he's here or I'll have wasted my efforts with the dress." Arya broke the silence jokingly.

"Not in the practice yard, but I know of another place... meet me in my solar after dinner and I'll take you there." Jaime offered.

Arya smiled. "I'll be there."


	8. Chapter 8

Tywin joined them in the great hall for dinner that same evening. He sat across from Arya and set a small package on the table between them. She gazed at it questioningly.

"A gift," Tywin said. "To welcome you to the family."

Arya reached over and took the package, opening it there as he probably expected of her. It was a small wooden box wrapped in brown paper. She removed the paper and opened the box. Inside were several pieces of jewelry that she recognized. Necklaces, pendants, hairpins, and even a bracelet, all of them direwolves and fish.

"These belonged to my mother." Arya said with disbelief.

"Yes. I had Roose Bolton send them to me. It seemed like they belonged in your hands, not his." Tywin said.

To her great shame, Ayra's eyes filled with tears. She quickly took a deep breath and forbid herself from truly crying. "I'm not sure what to make of this gift, my lord." She said, much more steadily than she felt.

"How do you mean?" Tywin gazed at her as if to dare her to protest.

"If you meant to taunt me, surely it would have been simpler to just walk in here and say, 'don't forget who gave the order to kill your mother and brother' there was no need to return the jewels that you stole out of my home." She said with anger.

Jaime expected an angry outburst from his father at those words. He reached over and put his hand on Arya's in an attempt to calm her. She accepted it there.

"The taking of Winterfell and the death of your mother and brother was part of a war strategy that needed to happen in order to bring peace to the seven kingdoms." Tywin said firmly but far more calmly than Jaime had expected. "It was not done with the intention of hurting you. Perhaps had I known that my cupbearer was Arya Stark I might have considered a different strategy. As it stands, the gift is simply that, a gift. Accept it or don't. I'm perfectly willing to send it back to Roose Bolton if you prefer."

Arya swallowed, unsure what to say. "Then I accept the gift my lord." She didn't want Roose Bolton to have her mother's jewels.

Arya changed out of her dress after dinner and met Jaime in his solar as planned.

"Can I kill him?" She asked, as soon as she was through the door. She wasn't joking about the question in any way.

"You mean my father? No." Jaime said. "Though I can understand why you would want to."

She sighed. "Where are we going?"

"We have to leave the castle. It's not far but we'll need horses."

Arya followed him to the stables. "I think one horse will do. I wouldn't want to have to abandon the other one after I kill you." This time she was grinning and he knew she was teasing him.

"Fine. One horse it is." Jaime quipped.

She soon realized her mistake when they were both mounted on the horse and one of his arms was wrapped around her waist to help hold her in place. She thought of protesting, of telling him she could stay mounted just fine on her own. Some part of her didn't want him him to stop touching her so she stayed as she was. The ride was just under an hour. By the time they reached where they were going Arya's face was flush and her mind was so distracted by the closeness that she doubted she would win any matches that night.

Arya dismounted the horse after Jaime did and took a look around at where he had brought them. They were on a beach, a very secluded one at that. The moonlight reflecting off the sea provided nearly enough light for them to see though it would be a little more difficult than by day.

"That was too easy." Jaime said after beating her rather quickly in the first round.

"It's too dark." Arya made as an excuse.

"It's not that dark. Something has you distracted. If it's my father, he'll be gone in a few days and you'll rarely ever need to see him again."

"It's not. Let's go another round." She didn't want to talk with him about Tywin or about her feelings.

It took a little longer but Jaime beat her again on their second round. "I doubt I've suddenly improved this much." Jaime said. "Something's wrong."

Arya didn't answer him. She picked up her sword from the ground. "Again!"

They went a third round. Arya was determined not to be distracted this time. She had sand in her shoes and in her eyes. It was hard to get sure footing in all the sand though it seemed to bother Jaime less than it bothered her. Maybe that was because he grew up near the sea. He beat her a third time, knocking her flat on her back in the sand and making her drop her sword. He stood above her grinning, waiting for her to get up and challenge him again. Suddenly she was angry at him beyond measure. She could never seem to keep her wits about her when it came to fighting him. Every smile, every kind word, every touch from him had awakened a desire in her that she hadn't known she was capable of. She had never wanted to be one those silly maidens swooning over a man and yet she couldn't even manage to hold on to her sword tonight because she was still thinking about what it felt like to have his arm around her while they rode that damned horse. And the worst part was, she was still afraid of letting him bed her. She wanted to kiss him, she wanted to be near him, but she was filled with terror at what would come after that. Though she knew that if someone _had t_ o bed her, she'd rather it was him than any other man. Most of all, she'd rather not let any man distract her like this.

Furious with herself and with him, Arya picked herself up off the ground knowing she wasn't ready to try again but prepared to do it anyway.

"Again?" Jaime asked her.

She shook her head no, dropping her sword to the ground. "Put down your sword."

"Why?" He asked her.

"Just do it." She said firmly.

He dropped his sword almost silently in the sand nearby. Then Arya charged at him, knocking him to the ground. She was on top of him and felt the wind knocked out of him. She gave him but a moment to catch his breath before she kissed him. Her kisses were angry and wanton all at once. As soon as he realized what she was doing, Jaime's arms came round her and he was kissing her in return. He seemed to realize that she only wanted kissing because he never tried to take it any further than that. After a while he rolled them onto their sides and deepened the kiss.

Neither of them were aware of how long it lasted. They were covered in mud and sand when Jaime finally pulled away, his arms still around her. "What caused all that?" He asked with grin.

"You did. I can't beat you because you're distracting me… so I thought…"

He chuckled at that. "It's getting late. We should go back. My father is likely having a conniption trying to find us."

As they rode back to the castle, Arya leaned into him in the saddle and he leaned into her just as much.


	9. Chapter 9

Arya's handmaid Kalla helped to draw her a bath after they returned to the castle. Arya had never liked having maids to brush her hair and help her put on her clothes but in this instance she was very tired and she knew that Lord Tywin would hear of it if she refused help.

After her bath, Arya climbed into bed and tried to fall asleep. It really was difficult to do without her guards at the door. They had been there when their Lord had executed the men from the ship. Most of the men here had given every indication of being loyal to their Lord Lannister. She knew that those four wouldn't hurt her, not without risk to their lives. Ser Hiram had made her laugh on several occasions and Ser Preston had told her about the time he met her Uncle Brandon many years ago. A few times, they had been kind enough to wake her from her nightmares. Not having them there meant that she would have to sleep through the horrible dreams until she woke on her own.

It wasn't entirely the fear of nightmares that was keeping her awake this night. There was also the memory of what it had been like to be kissed like that. She had never been kissed before. She couldn't quite believe that she had kissed Jaime in the way that she had. Sansa would have hated that her sister was behaving like that.

When she eventually fell asleep she dreamed at first of riding on a horse and being kissed. Then the dream changed. She was in the cabin of a ship, in chains. Someone had turned her over onto her stomach and shoved her face into the floor. He was pounding inside her and the grip his friends kept on her body made it impossible to move. She was screaming at them, just screaming and screaming, and they wouldn't stop. She ran out of strength for screaming and fighting but they still weren't done. The pain grew worse and somehow she found the strength to scream again.

Then she was sitting bolt upright in her bed, someone's hand on her shoulder to wake her. It was Tywin Lannister.

"It seems you've had a nightmare." Tywin said calmly. "My room is just down the hall. I heard your screams."

"I'm sorry I woke you my lord." She tried courtesy, hoping it would make him go away. "I will be fine now."

"Perhaps if you have trouble sleeping, you should take a sleeping dram. It isn't appropriate for Lady Lannister to be screaming and waking the household at all hours of the night."

Arya could only glare at him. "I'll keep that in mind my lord."

"You'll do better than keep it mind. Find a way to end these nightmares. There are plenty of methods to help you sleep more soundly. More exercise by day, a glass of wine at bedtime, or a sleeping dram from the maester. I don't care which one you choose. I will not have rumors spread around that you are screaming at night because we have somehow harmed you. End it, is that clear?"

"And if I don't?" Arya said defiantly.

Tywin raised an eyebrow, amused by her defiance. "Then a sleeping dram will be brought and you will drink it, willingly or not. Besides, it is for your own good to overcome your fears. I mean you no harm in asking it."

"Yes, my lord." Arya said, but the words were tinged with anger.

"Good." Tywin said, making for the door.

Arya lit a candle and took out a book after that. She wasn't much for reading but she needed to stay awake. She wasn't going to drink anything that clouded her thinking like a sleeping dram. She had seen what milk of the poppy did to her father and she wanted no part of the Maester and his herbs. She would read. It was either that or go back to Jaime's bed and she wasn't willing to do that just yet. She had already gone to his bed once and she had been the one to kiss him. Going back there now would only make her seem desperate. Like one of those desperate silly maidens that Jeyne Poole and Sansa were always acting like. It was a very long and boring night but Arya managed to stay awake until dawn when Kalla came for her.

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Arya seemed tired at breakfast, that much was obvious to Jaime. He had slept pretty well himself, especially given how well the previous evening had gone. He had known that Arya was distracted by his proximity but he hadn't known to what extent until she had thrown herself at him to kiss him. It could have easily gone the other way though. He had been wanting to kiss her for a long time and had kept his distance so he wouldn't frighten her after what she had been put through on her journey back to Westeros. Clearly she was feeling more comfortable with him now. And clearly, she was exhausted.

"Arya?" Jaime put his arm on hers to wake her from where she had fallen asleep at the table.

She lifted her head groggily.

"I take it you deed not heed my advice." Tywin said to her from across the table.

She only glared at him, probably too tired to find the words she wanted to say.

"Falling asleep at the breakfast table is hardly an improvement over screaming in your sleep." Tywin said.

"What happened?" Jaime asked her. "Did you have nightmares?"

"She did." Tywin answered for her. "And I informed her that she needs to find a way to not wake the entire castle with her screams. I offered a sleeping dram and she refused it."

"So you stayed awake all night." Jaime said worriedly, finally understanding what had happened.

"I wasn't about to let him force a sleeping dram down my throat." Arya protested.

"Jaime, after you are wed you will see to it that your wife behaves herself as befits a Lannister." Tywin told his son. "She will not scream at all hours of the night or sleep at the table."

Arya's eyes met Jaime's. "I'm sorry." She whispered and he noticed then that she was wearing her dress again. "Next time I'll just drink some wine or something."

"No." He shook his head, hardly able to believe that it had come to this so quickly. "No, you don't have to protect me from my father. Next time he tries to make you do something come to me and I'll put an end to it."

Jaime's eyes met Tywin's to see if he had been listening. He had been. Tywin regarded him coldly but he said nothing. If Jaime wasn't mistaken there was just the smallest hint of a smile playing at the corner of his father's lips.

"Where were the two of you last night?" Tywin asked. "I noticed you seemed to have left the castle and the grounds after dinner."

"We went for a ride." Jaime told him.

"Only one horse was taken from the stables." Tywin pointed out.

"So we shared a horse. What does it matter father? I suppose you would prefer I hated the wife you chose for me and didn't ever want to take her anywhere?"

"No, I would prefer that my son didn't go riding off into the middle of the night with his betrothed like some besotted young lad. If my men were able to follow you to that beach and see your behavior then anyone could be spreading rumors by now." Tywin said.

""What kind of rumors could possibly be spreading? That I kissed my betrothed on a beach? Who would even care?" Jaime asked.

"Clearly you have missed the point of most of what I have been trying to teach you. No one will ever believe that you are a great warrior or that Lannister house is one to be feared if everyone knows that you sneaked off in the night only to be knocked to the ground by a woman." Tywin said stubbornly.

"No one is ever going to believe I'm great warrior ever again Father." Jaime said, holding up his golden hand. "I've accepted that. It's time you did too."

With those words Jaime got up and left the table. Arya left too. She tried to follow him, her hand catching his arm but he sped up and shook her free. She stopped following him then. He didn't look back. He didn't want to see the hurt in her eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

Arya watched Jaime go out of the great hall and found she was unsure where to go herself. Obviously, he needed some space. She left the great hall in the opposite direction, going back up to her room rather than outside in the yard. Kalla was in her room making the bed.

"Where do you sleep, Kalla?" Arya asked her. She had barely spoken to the maid before now. It wasn't because she was a handmaid either. Arya had never cared much about class distinctions. It was because this handmaid was so soft spoken and courteous like Sansa had always been that she just assumed they had nothing in common.

"I have a bed in the servants quarters m'lady."

"So if I asked you to sleep in here tonight you don't have a sister or a lover who would miss you?"

Kalla blushed at that. "No m'lady. I don't have anyone."

"I'm sorry…. I just need someone to wake me up if I start to have nightmares. As soon as I start moving around, wake me up. Can you do that?"

"I can do that m'lady." Kalla said with a small smile. "I used to do it for my little sister afore she died."

"I shared a bed with my sister sometimes back in Winterfell. I don't know where she is anymore. No one does." Arya said sadly. "And I wasn't very nice to her when I last saw her."

"I wasn't always nice to my little sister either. I think perhaps that's just the way it is with sisters. It doesn't mean you don't miss them when they're gone." Kalla said.

"Maybe you're right...will you stay with me for now if I take a nap? Just in case I have nightmares, I wouldn't want Lord Tywin to know of it…"

"Of course m'lady."

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Jaime went for the stables and took a horse. Not the same horse that he had ridden on with Arya the night before. Any horse but that one. He chose a black mare rather than the dappled stallion from the previous night and he rode in the out of the courtyard at a full gallop.

He didn't really want to ride. He wanted a sword in his right hand and someone to kill with it. He wanted to fuck a woman without having to worry if he might hurt her. Not Cersei, he didn't want her anymore, not after the things she had done. And he wanted his father to leave and never return. Maybe it would have been better if Tywin had died when Tyrion escaped. He would have been saddened by it but things would have been much easier. Except that he would have likely never met Arya and Jaime had to admit that he did _like_ her.

Jaime kicked the mare to speed her up. He didn't have any reason to be in a hurry. It was his anger making him go so fast and he knew it. He found it hard to care about tiring out the horse or about riding at such reckless speeds.

Eventually he found himself back at that same beach where he had brought Arya. He dismounted his horse and gave her a chance to rest. He sat down in the sand where there was still an indentation from where he and Arya had lay before. He sat there watching the waves for a long long while.

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Arya slept for the better part of the morning. She awoke and found Kalla still in her room. She thanked her and dismissed her then. Arya was bored for much of the day after that and worried. Jaime still hadn't returned and he hadn't told anyone where he was going. She supposed that Lord Tywin had probably had him followed. _Someone_ knew where Jaime was even if she didn't. Not that she expected anything bad would happen to him while he was away. This was the Westerlands and he was the Warden of the West. He was in no real danger here. The only danger was of him not coming back on purpose. Though, Lord Tywin would never let Jaime run away even if that was what he was trying to do. It was then that she understood what he had meant about not having any choice in all this. He didn't have any more choice in it than she did. He could try to run away, just as she could, but even if either of them managed to escape the castle (and she wasn't nearly so confident of her ability to escape on her own as she had made Jaime believe) there would always be people hunting for them, seeking to bring them back and force them to do their duty.

When evening came Jaime still had not returned. Ayra had slept too long that morning and was too anxious to sleep anyway so she sent Kalla away and took out her book again. It was late in the evening when she heard footsteps approaching her room.

"Arya?" Jaime knocked on her bedchamber door.

She rushed to the door and pulled it open. She wanted to hug him but she didn't want to make a fool of herself if he was somehow angry with her for not taking the sleeping dram so she just stood there, wide eyed, not knowing what to say.

"I came to guard your door." He said. No explanation was given for where he had been all day. She realized though, that she didn't need one.

"You did?" She knew he could simply reinstate her guards. The fact that he came to do this himself meant something. It meant he cared.

He nodded. "I'll try to wake you if you have nightmares but if I fail to do that before you scream, I still won't allow my father to come in here or force a sleeping dram on you if you don't want one."

"Thank you...you'll be awake all night out here?" She asked him.

He nodded. "I've done this many times, staying awake outside the door guarding the king. It's the least I can do."

She wanted to say something. She wanted to tell him that she didn't need any stupid knight to guard her from Tywin Lannister and his stupid sleeping draught. She wanted to tell him he could just come in and sleep next to her. She wanted to take a step closer and kiss him. Instead she couldn't move. She was frozen from all the emotions flooding inside her and though some part of her hated that, another part of her loved it.

Then Jaime stepped a little closer and gave her a single kiss that was all too brief. "Good night Arya." He said and he stepped away, tugging the door shut behind him.


	11. Chapter 11

Jaime never had to wake Arya while he stood outside her door that night. Apparently she slept better knowing he was there. In the early morning hours, Jaime saw his father leaving his room down the hall. Tywin saw him standing guard at Arya's door and headed straight for him. He had known this would happen come morning if not before. He had been preparing for it all night.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Tywin asked cooly.

"Standing guard. No one is going to force Arya to do anything she doesn't want to do. Not even you."

Tywin stared coldly at him. "Good." He said.

"Good?" Jaime was thrown off by the word.

"You will still marry her, whether she agrees to it or not. However you would be a terrible husband if you allowed anyone else to touch her or allowed Lannister men to hold her down and force a sleeping dram down her throat. I would have never permitted any man to lay a finger on your mother, not even the king. The lady of Casterly Rock should command just as much respect from the knights here as their lord does. And I think the Lannisters have harmed Arya Stark quite enough. I had hoped you would see that and even be angry enough to defy me over it." Tywin told him matter of factly.

"You're telling me this was some kind of... _test?"_ Jaime said with anger and disbelief.

"Not initially, not until your betrothed refused my advice. At that point it became a test. And you passed it." Tywin said, gave him a nod, and walked away.

"So do you still expect me to keep her under control after we're wed?" He called after his father.

Tywin turned back to face him. "If she cares for you, there will be no need to. She will do most of what you ask just to please you. That incident on the beach the other night tells me that you won't have a problem with that."

"But you still do expect me to regrow my hand and become a great warrior for house Lannister?" Jaime went on.

"No. I expect that you make our house a house to be feared. Executing those men who brought Arya from Essos was a step in that direction. Running off in the night was not."

Jaime heard Arya's door opening behind him as his father walked away.

"What did he want?" Arya said as she watched Tywin go.

"Apparently he wanted me to try and stop him, for my own good, or maybe for yours." Jaime said, slightly confused.

"Right. He's always trying to improve everyone with his commands." Arya said with irritation.

"Should, I send for Kalla or are you ready to go down for breakfast?" Jaime asked her.

"I'm ready." She said and she took the arm he offered to escort her.

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The day of the wedding was cloudy and on the verge of rain. Arya didn't like the dress that had been chosen for her. She made no complaints. The Lannisport Lannisters arrived as well as many people from Lannisport that she didn't know. The Sept was crowded when they gathered there and as Ser Galron (a northern knight who had been chosen to give her away) led her down the aisle she began to wonder if she hadn't made a huge mistake. Perhaps she should have tried harder to escape. Looking at Jaime in his crimson and gold, she knew that she hadn't wanted to escape, not really.

They said their vows and feasted and danced as expected and the people around them were drinking far too much and celebrating far too loudly.

"I've always hated weddings too." Jaime leaned over to where Arya sat next to him. "Most of these people barely know us and look at them."

"They just wanted an excuse to drink and feast." Arya said, gazing at two small boys were occupying themselves fighting with wooden swords in one corner of the great hall. "I'd much rather be down there with them than up here pretending to be courteous."

"Let's get out of here then. I'll take you back to that beach." Jaime offered.

Arya blushed. "We'll be followed." She didn't want Lannister men watching everything that might happen.

"Where would you like to go then?"

Arya thought for a moment. "Up to the castle roof." They could bolt shut the door at the top of the stairs and have the whole wing to themselves.

"Alright then." Jaime led the way and they slipped out past the revelry and onto the stairwell.

By the time they reached the rooftop and Jaime bolted the door shut behind them he noticed that Arya was trembling much like she had the night she came to his room.

"Arya, I haven't changed my mind." He told her. "I told you I wouldn't force you and I still mean it. There's nothing fear."

It started to rain. "So you'll just kiss me for now?"

He nodded and went to her, wrapping his arms around her he kissed her whilst picking her up and carrying her to the castle wall. He set her in one of the archer spaces and she wrapped both her legs and arms around him, never breaking the kiss. They hardly noticed the rain they were so lost in the kiss. Arya did notice his hardness pressing against her center, startled, she pulled away from him. He caught her before she toppled over the edge of the castle wall. She clung to him to catch her breath at the close call."

"Sorry." He said anxiously. "I can't believe I almost killed another Stark like that." The words tumbled out before he even thought about them.

Her eyes met his and flashed with realization then anger and he knew she had understood what he meant. "It was you? You pushed Bran."

He couldn't speak but even that was answer enough.

"Get away from me!" Arya shoved him backwards as hard as she could. He took a step back and caught himself but it gave her enough space to jump down from the archer space where she had been sitting. She fled from him towards the door to the stairwell.

"Arya wait!" Jaime went after her and caught her arm.

"Don't touch me! Don't you _ever_ touch me!" She yelled and unbolted the door and ran back down into the castle, leaving him in the pouring rain.


	12. Chapter 12

No one could find Lady Lannister on her wedding night. Tywin was furious. He didn't want all the guests who remained to know that she was missing nor did he want her running away and escaping them. The castle and grounds were searched nevertheless though the men were forbidden to tell any of the guests what it was they were searching for and no sign of her was found. There were no horses missing so Tywin took that as a good sign that she hadn't gone far. Jaime wasn't so sure about that. His father hadn't seen the look in her eyes when she had realized what he had done to her brother. His father didn't even know the truth of why she had run off and Jaime had no intention of ever telling him.

It was past dawn when Jaime finally stumbled into bed. They had searched all night. Tywin had done a lot of yelling and lecturing in that time. Jaime was worn out and dejected. He collapsed onto the bed and slept for just over an hour before being awakened by someone pounding on his door. He dragged himself out of the bed and went to the door. On the other side stood a group of knights, his father, and Arya.

"We found her in the wine cellar, drunk." Tywin told him. "She will stay in your chambers and you will settle whatever it is that happened between you. Is that understood?"

"Yes Father." Jaime said through gritted teeth. Arya only glared at Tywin. Then having no other choice she went into Jaime's bedchamber as expected.

"I'm not settling anything." Arya said as soon as the door was closed behind them.

"I didn't expect you were." Jaime said, pouring himself some wine.

"Can I have some of that?" She eyed the wine. He passed her the cup in his hand and poured another.

He downed the wine before even trying to speak. 'Arya, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what happened to Bran. It was a terrible thing to do…"

"Why did you do it?" She was still angry.

He took a deep breath. He was in so deep already that it could hardly make it worse to tell her the whole truth at this point. "You've heard the rumors about my sister and I?"

"Yes." She said, not sure where he was heading.

"They were true. Your brother caught us, Cersei and I. If he had told anyone…."

"He wouldn't have told anyone!" Arya protested. "You could have scared him into not talking. You didn't need to try to kill him."

He didn't deny it. "You're probably right. And I'm sorry." He said evenly. It was all he could say.

Arya's eyes filled with tears but she shed none. "I need more wine." She crossed the room and poured herself another cup. "So Joffrey and Myrcella and Tommen are yours?"

"Yes."

Arya gulped down her cup of wine and immediately poured another cup.

"Don't you think you've had enough wine?" Jaime commented.

"No. There will never be enough wine in all the world for this."

Jaime hated the way the words stung. He wanted to be able to not care. "I've been up all night. I need to sleep. I'll leave space on the bed for you. Even if you decide not to sleep I wouldn't suggest leaving this room. My father will likely just send you right back in here."

He felt the bed move when she joined him a couple of hours later. She slept near the edge as far away from him as possible but she did sleep.

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"I had planned to leave for Kingslanding right away." Tywin told them that day at the noon meal. They had slept the better part of the morning. "But if the two of you are still angry with each other then there is no guarantee of having any heirs."

"Of course we aren't angry my lord." Arya said more sweetly than Jaime had ever heard her sound. Then as if to prove it she turned to Jaime and kissed him, longingly.

"There's no need for all that." Tywin said, somewhat amused. "I believe you."

Tywin left them to return to Kinglslanding the same day. Arya changed back into her men's clothes as soon as he was gone and she sought out Ser Hiram to spar with. Jaime didn't offer to take a turn and she didn't ask him to. Watching them, Jaime could see that she was angry and she was taking out all of her anger on Ser Hiram. It was a good thing that the young knight was wearing armor because Arya would have very likely injured him by now without it.

She didn't speak to Jaime all day. When evening came Arya locked herself in her old chambers and shared her bed with Kalla.


	13. Chapter 13

"My lady, if you're going to insist that we sleep here won't you at least tell me why?" Kalla asked Arya as they went to bed that night. "I know it isn't my place to say, but wouldn't you rather be with your lord husband?"

"No… no ...I wouldn't." Arya told her as she blew out the candle on her side of the bed.

"I thought you liked Lord Jaime. He is very handsome. Everyone says so. And everyone saw you kiss him in the great hall today." Kalla said, slightly confused and curious.

"It's not as simple as that." Arya said, allowing her tears to fall now that the room was finally dark. "I am a Stark. He is a Lannister. You know what his family has done to mine. I should have never trusted him."

"I know I am only a handmaid, and I have not suffered as you have m'lady, will you allow me to speak freely about this matter?" Kalla asked.

"Of course. You can say whatever you want. If I don't like it I might tell you to shut up sometimes but I won't have you punished or dismissed for it."

"It seems to me that my Lord has been very good to you since you have been here. He executed the men who raped you, he carried you himself while you were injured, he gave you back your sword… and when I have seen you together, it looked to me as if you cared for him." Kalla told her.

"I did…" Arya admitted, her voice breaking.

"I'm sorry m'lady, I didn't mean to make you cry." Kalla said worriedly.

"You didn't." Arya told her but she couldn't hold back her sobs. Kalla's arms came around her and Arya allowed her handmaid to comfort her, holding her close.

"Are you going to try to run away again?" Kalla asked her after a while, she sounded worried for Arya's sake. "Because it would be very dangerous for you here in the Westerlands."

Arya sighed. "I'm not going to try to run away. I said the words...I made my marriage vows… and I can't take them back...Starks are honorable. I won't run away now."

"So do you plan to share a bed with me for the duration of your marriage?" Kalla dared to ask her.

"I will for as long as I can." Arya told her.

"Lord Jaime doesn't seem like the type of husband who would force you to his bed… you could be in this room a long time… and I have no objections to staying with you m'lady… but it doesn't seem like your marriage vows count for much if you never share his bed."

"I know that. I know I'll have to go back to him eventually. I just can't do it yet. Not for a long time."

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The following day found Arya in the yard again sparing with Ser Hiram. The young knight had been in the castle library during the night and had read as much as he could on Braavosi swordsmanship. He was eager to try out some of the skills he had learned with Arya.

Arya sat next to Jaime at breakfast and at the noon meal but she still did not speak to him. He was just leaving the noon meal when he saw Kalla timidly approaching him from her place along the wall in the great hall. She had never approached him or spoken to him before that he could remember.

"May I speak to you m'lord?" She asked.

"Of course." He took her aside into the small hall nearby where they wouldn't be overheard.

"It's about the lady Arya m'lord. I would never want to betray her trust, but I thought you might like to know that she told me she isn't planning to run away again. She told me that because she is a Stark she will honor her marriage vows and will not leave." Kalla told him.

Jaime felt relieved at hearing this. Then confused. "I'm not sure I see the point in calling it a marriage if she continues to avoid me." He stated.

"She knows that m'lord. I believe she just needs time."

"Thank you Kalla. If she says anything else to you, anything that might affect her safety, you will come to me?" He asked. He could have commanded it but doing so seemed too much like spying.

"I will m'lord." She said.

"And Kalla, maybe you can find out how long she thinks it might take her to forgive me?"

"I'll try, m'lord."

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Arya continued to share her room with Kalla by night, to spar with the men and avoid Jaime altogether by day for nearly a moon's turn. Sometimes Jaime would try to speak to her, at mealtimes or as she was leaving the practice yard and she would just pretend she hadn't heard him. After a while he just stopped trying. Some part of her felt a little guilty for treating him like that. He was supposed to be her husband after all and she had resigned herself to staying at Casterly Rock and not killing him. It hardly made sense to not just go a little further and at least try to get along with the man. Then she would think about Bran, about the fact that he couldn't even walk or try to put up a fight when Theon Greyjoy...all because of what Jaime did. And then she found that she just couldn't do it. She couldn't be his wife. She could stay at Casterly Rock, she could refrain from killing him, but she couldn't allow herself to feel anything like she had felt for him before. That's not to say that the feelings weren't there. Only that she focused on her anger and refused to think about them.

One night a month after the wedding Arya had a particularly bad nightmare. The dreams hadn't been nearly as severe since Kalla had been sharing her bed but they still came from time to time. On this night Arya awoke them both with her screams.

"It's alright, m'lady." Kalla reached for her hand. "It was just a dream."

Arya nodded, shaken and tried to go back to sleep. She found she couldn't sleep. The memories of what had happened to her on the ship were clear and vivid after that dream. The arms that were hugging her weren't nearly strong enough either. It made her angry to realize that she was longing for the safety of Jaime's arms. And it made her furious when her mind kept reliving the memory of that night on the beach. She pulled free of Kalla's arms. The handmaid was sleeping anyway. Arya crossed the room and picked up her sword from the table. She needed to fight with someone.

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It was the middle of the night and Jaime awoke to someone knocking loudly on his door. He got out of bed and opened the door only to find Arya on the other side. Her eyes were red rimmed from crying and she carried her sword.

"Spar with me?" She said.


	14. Chapter 14

"It's the middle of the night, you haven't spoken to me in a month, and now you want to spar all of a sudden?" Jaime asked her with disbelief.

"I can find someone else if you'd rather be sleeping." She said, irritated.

He sighed. "I'll do it if you'll agree to my terms."

"What terms would that be?" She asked warily.

"Best out of five. If I win three then you have to stop ignoring me from now on." Jaime offered.

"Do I have to be nice?" She said.

"No, I don't expect false courtesy. If I win, I only want you answer me when I speak to you, to say _something_ , and stop pretending I'm not there."

She nodded. "Fine. I'll agree to those terms. You should wear armor though. I might hurt you."

Jaime took his sword and leather armor and went with Arya down to the practice yard. Some of the household staff heard their blades clashing in the middle of the night and came out to see what the commotion was. They were pleased to see that Jaime and Arya were sparring. That was far better than the silence between them that everyone had observed for the past month.

Arya was angry, too angry to have any advantage in the first round. Jaime lacked her fury and as such he still had his wits about him. He won the first round. She seemed to realize her error and forced herself to calm down for the second round. It wasn't enough. He beat her a second time. The third round lasted far longer. If he won this one then it meant he had won his prize. She seemed quite determined not to let that happen. He was just as determined not to let her win. Her anger, or perhaps even her distraction at his proximity got the better of her in the end. Jaime knocked her sword to the ground and she immediately picked it back up again.

"Best out of ten?" She asked.

"Only if we up the terms." Jaime said.

"To what?"

"You have to speak to me from now on _and_ sleep next to me at night." He said.

Her eyes flashed with anger at that. "No."

"Only sleeping, I'll still not touch you. Are you afraid you can't win?"

"Of course I can win. Let's do it."

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Kalla helped Arya move her things into Jaime's room. Arya didn't own much. She hadn't accumulated very many items since she arrived but the handmaiden helped her nonetheless.

"I can't believe he won six rounds." Arya said as she carefully placed her mother's jewels into the larger box of things.

"I can. Lord Jaime was the best swordsman in the seven kingdoms. It was only a matter of time before his left hand figured that out." Kalla said.

"I'm going to miss you." Arya told her sadly.

"You will still see me every day. I'll come in the morning and brush your hair."

"You know I can brush my own hair." Arya teased. "But come anyway."

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When Arya arrived at Jaime's bedchamber after dinner that night she was sullen and silent. She stripped of her sword and climbed into bed wearing her clothes without a word.

"I thought you had agreed to speak to me now." Jaime said. "You aren't going to say good night or anything?"

"No, I agreed that I would speak to you if you spoke to me. You didn't until just now so _now_ I have reason to say good night."

Jaime sighed and moved to blow out the candles. "Good night Arya."

Arya dreamed of being on the ship again that night. Everything about the dream was so vivid. The smell of the cabin floor where they'd held her down. The roughness of the floorboards against her face. The sounds they made while she was powerless to stop what they were doing to her...She sat bolt upright in the bed gasping for breath.

"Arya?" Jaime said and she felt his hand reach over and hold on to hers. His touch and his presence were comforting and Arya found herself losing all her composure and reaching for a hug. He took her into his arms without a word and held her close, letting her weep as much as she needed to.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" Jaime asked once she was relaxed again.

"It means I had a nightmare and I needed you." Arya told him there was none of the anger she'd had towards him before in her voice. "Thank you."


	15. Chapter 15

Jaime stayed awake for a while as Arya was falling back asleep in his arms. He didn't know when he might get a chance to be close to her again after this. Maybe tomorrow she would hate him again. She had said she needed him and that was a huge step he knew. The truth was, he needed her too. He had missed having someone to spar with, to tease, he had liked it when she was merely irritated with him. That had been an interesting challenge but this hatred... he wasn't sure he could handle being a failure in her eyes for the rest of his life. He had missed the way things were before. And he had missed kissing her….

When awoke the next morning her eyes were still closed. She was still nestled in his arms, closer than she had been before, her hands clinging to his tunic. He leaned a little closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She didn't move so he took a risk and pressed another brief kiss to her lips. After that he gently unravelled himself from her and left the bed.

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Kalla arrived just as Lord Jaime was leaving the chambers for breakfast. Arya was awake and nearly ready herself but she had chosen to wait to speak to her handmaid as promised before going down to the great hall.

"How did it go m'lady?" Kalla asked with a blush on her cheeks.

"There's no need to blush. Nothing like _that_ happened." Arya told her.

"I must admit, I am sorry to hear that m'lady." Kalla teased her.

"Then you'll be happy to hear that he kissed me when he thought I was asleep."

"And?" Kalla picked up the hairbrush and started brushing Arya's hair.

"I already did that." Arya said, taking the brush from her. "Just sit and talk to me."

Kalla sat. "Did you hate it?" She asked worriedly.

"No. I didn't hate it. It was just a stupid kiss."

"Then why are you the one blushing now?" Kalla asked her boldly.

"Okay I did hate it. I hated his stupid kiss and I hate his stupid hugs after my nightmares and I hate his stupid face!"

"I know that isn't true." Kalla told her matter of factly. "No one hates Ser Jaime's face."

At that Arya burst out laughing and Kalla laughed with her.

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Arya was more courteous that day with Jaime than she had ever been. She was just full of "my lords" and "Sers" and never once spoke a word of anger. She didn't ignore him, as promised, but she had none of her usual attitude either. Jaime was pretty sure he had preferred her the way she was before.

She asked Ser Hiram to spar with her that day, not Jaime. He didn't complain or make any offers to join them. He only watched. She was much better at beating Ser Hiram than she had been with him. And Jaime knew that Hiram was a better knight than he was currently. There was a lot to be said for having her wits about her when she tried to fight. With Hiram she still had her sharp mind. With him she clearly did not.

Nearly another moon's turn passed in this manner. By day Arya was polite and distant with him. She didn't have nightmares every night but when she did, she slept in his arms afterwards. And every morning when he thought she was still asleep, Jaime kissed her.


	16. Chapter 16

It was the middle of the night two months into their so called marriage and Arya was having another nightmare. Jaime reached over and shook her awake and then to her great shock he turned away from her and lay back down to sleep.

"What are you…?" She started to ask and then stopped.

"I'm going to sleep is what I'm doing." He told her.

"But you always…" She began. He had always held her after her nightmares. She had come to depend on it.

"I know I do and I'm starting to wonder why I've bothered." He said, still facing away from her.

Arya's eyes stung with tears but she said nothing. She did her best to fall back asleep on her own.

When morning came the next day, Jaime did not kiss her. She pretended to be asleep until after he had dressed and left for breakfast. Kalla came and found her mistress curled up in the bed hidden entirely by the blankets and bed linens.

"Are you alright m'lady?"

"No." Arya said, her voice shaken enough to make it clear she had been crying.

"What happened?" Kalla pulled back the bed linens to get a look at Arya's tear stained face.

"He didn't kiss me this morning...and I think it's all my fault...I've fucked up everything." Arya said.

"Have you tried talking to him?"

"I can't." Arya said.

"Yes you can. Wait here." Kalla ran out of the room.

Jaime had just reached the end of the long corridor when Kalla came running after him. "My Lord… please wait!" She called out. Jaime stopped and waited for her to catch up to him. "Lady Arya needs to speak with you."

"About?" Jaime asked warily.

"She's been crying m'lord." Kalla told him.

"Fine." Jaime followed her back to the room. Arya still sat on the bed. She had indeed been crying.

"It seems that m'lady has been upset because her lord husband did not kiss her this morning." Kalla said.

"Kalla!" Arya scolded her.

"I will leave you to speak alone." Kalla said, fleeing the room.

Jaime and Arya stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"Is it true? You were awake all those times… and you missed it?" Jaime finally asked her.

"Gods yes! I've missed the kisses, I've missed arguing and sparring with you...I've missed _you_!"

"Why didn't you say anything?" He asked, crossing the room to sit next to her on the bed.

"Because I was too angry and hurt about Bran. I don't know how to forgive that." She said.

"Then don't forgive me. Just let me kiss you anyway. Can you do that?" He asked.

"I could." She said, her eyes never leaving his. "But what will happen to us if you're sister comes to visit Casterly Rock."

"Nothing. It's over between Cersei and I. Why would I even want her when I have you?" He said.

"But you don't have me. Not really. I've been a bitch to you since the wedding...I don't want to be like that anymore…"

"Then what do you plan to do about it?" He asked, half a grin on his face.

"I could start by kissing you."

Her arms came around his neck and she kissed him slowly and warmly. He pulled her onto his lap so she was astride him and deepened the kiss. She was the one who began tugging off his tunic and he let her. After that she removed her own tunic and resumed kissing him, her body pressed close to his. Jaime's hand came up and cupped her breast. He moved to kiss her neck then he took one of her nipples into his mouth. She cried out at that, having never felt anything quite like it before. He moved to suck on the other nipple and at that she felt something stirring inside her that she hadn't even known she was capable of. She wanted him inside of her. She was so surprised at herself and that he had won her over so easily she pulled away to look into his eyes.

"What?" He asked about the way she was gazing at him.

"I just realized...I want you to fuck me."

He almost laughed at that. "Are you sure?"

"Gods yes!"

"Then I will… soon."

He took a long time that morning, making sure she was ready for him. And he was gentle with her as he had promised to be.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked her as she lay panting and naked in his arms afterward.

"No. Not just then anyway."

"But I did hurt you before…." He said sadly.

"Yes, and you're helping me heal from it."

He held up his golden hand. "I suppose you're helping me heal too."

( _Author's note: I was thinking about ending it here...input is welcome...)_


	17. Chapter 17

Epilogue:

Casterly Rock was a flurry of busyness. The servants were all cleaning and cooking and decorating in preparation for Tywin Lannister's arrival. He had been unable to meet his eldest grandson when he had been born two years earlier but he was coming to the rock for the birth of his second grandchild nonetheless. Arya was due to give birth at any time.

The child came just a few hours before Tywin's arrival. Jaime never left her bedside just as he hadn't when Tytos had been born. The eldest child had been given a good Lannister name as befitted the heir of Casterly Rock. Arya loved Tytos with all her heart but Jamie knew she looked forward to the birth of her second child more than she had the first. Sansa had still not been found and this child was to be the heir of Winterfell. This baby would someday get to go North and live in the Stark home.

"It's a boy." The Maester declared after he delivered him and handed him over to his father.

Jaime gazed in amazement at this baby boy with Stark gray eyes and golden hair. "I think I know what his name should be. We should call him Brandon."

Arya reached over to hold her second baby for the first time. She nodded, tears in her eyes when Jaime passed him into her arms. "I agree. His name is Brandon."

THE END


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